The St. Johns herald., 1887-12-08
THE DRINK KQUEsT1oN IN ENGLAND.

A Review If ConviviaI Customs in Early
 Times, and Legislative Kestri' tiOns OI
 the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages.
 An English exchange remarks that the drink question has been a difficu pr b. len from the dawn of English history to the present day.
 The earlier pages of our annals record that the Brltons wers frugal in their meals, wh ch consisted ch " of milk and ,e4ison. Their ordinary beverage was ter. They occasionally indu ged in erm nted drink made from barle |, honey or apples, and a free use of it never failed to make them nl-nI.ur d Q. d ready 10 quarrel.
 During the Roman rule in this country w.ne and other intoxicating dr.n,s were irecl cons mel. The bush, which was for ages he sign of an inn. is trace 10 the Romans, and to them alsJ We ye the nal nal custom of toasting or health Lrin sug.
 The saxon period was one in which in- te ni erince evailed to fearful ex ent. It is stated on reliable authority Lat even he clergy spent days and nights in Cranke. ne5 and debauchery.
 sKIng Edgar must be ere iited with do- ins a noJle work in the Ie;ormai In of his c .untrymen from the banefuI effects of str.ng drink. 1t is remarked by the R Y. Dr. French that the King nearly antsc,p patel by thousand years the le 5- islat:on p opposed by the United Kin z dom Alliance. Acting on the advice of Ddnstan, says Strut, "he put down III ny houses, suffering on one to ex st in village or small tSwn; and he also farther ordained that piLs or nails should be fastened into drinking GU s or horas at sta,ei distances, 50 that whoever saould drink beyonI these marks at one draught should be liable o severe punishment"
 Archbishop Dunstan was equally zeal ous III caecHing incompetence in the caurc". We make few extracts as foi- lows from code drawn up Ly him:
 Let no drinking be allowed in the church.
 Let men be very temperate at church wax s and pray earnestly, and suffer there no Cr hiking or unclean:iLe55.
 Let priests beware of drunkenness and De diligent in warning and correct 1 ot CTS ill this matter.
 '' Let no riest be an ale scop nor in a. y wise act the gleeman."
 The Danes drank 10 a great exc 'ss, anu dur ng the time their kings occupied the tlir~n of England drunkennes $ cas; blight over the land.
 The Norman conquest brought about many important changes in social life. Sobr.rty was not the least of the virtues of the Norfnans.
 C mng down to Tudor times, we nnl . an almo similar statute passed u the string nL regulation of Edgar. In the last y,ar of the reign of Edward VI it was enacted tha mons Slail Keep tavern for retailing wines unl ss li- cense |; and that only in cites. towns cor. ora 0, burgs, post towns or market towns or in ihe towns Cf Gravesend, S tin bou ne, TUxford and Ba shot, on the forfeiture of ten pounds. And the shall be only tayeris for retailing wine in every city or town except Lundon, which may Lave .orty Ia, erns; in York, eight taverns in Norwich, four; in Vest miDs. r three; in Bristol, six; n Lin- coln, three; m Hull, four; n Shrews- bury, tree; in Glou e ter, four; in Meslcl.estcr (ChesteI). four; in Here ford, tn e.; Southampton three: in Canterbury, four; in Ipswich three; in Win,h ,ster, three, in Oxford, three; in Cambri ge, four; ill Colchester, three, and in Newcasle-on-Tyne, four"
 1t is chronicled that this legislation was tho means of reducing the cons Amp- ton of intoxicating drink.